The 2013 Newcomb-Tulane College Lecture

Paul Tough
education reform advocate and writer

“The Hidden Power of Character”

Monday, March 11, 2013
6:00 p.m.
Dixon Hall, Tulane University

Free and open to the public, with a book-signing and reception to follow.

Writer, broadcaster, and speaker Paul Tough is one of the country’s leading voices on the topics of education reform and social innovation, challenging our culture’s belief that intelligence, endlessly measured by test scores, is the sole indicator of value in our education system. A contributing writer to New York Times Magazine, Tough has written extensively about education, poverty and politics, including cover stories on New Orleans' post-Katrina school system, the Harlem Children's Zone, the No Child Left Behind program, and charter schools. He is also the bestselling author of How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character (2012), which argues that non-cognitive skills – or, character – are better indicators of success; and Whatever It Takes: Geoffrey Canada's Quest to Change Harlem and America (2008), which focuses on the steps necessary to improve the lives and education of underserved children. Tough has also contributed to This American Life, The New Yorker, Slate, GQ, and Esquire.

In his lecture, “The Hidden Power of Character,” Tough will show how “nature” and “nurture” are intertwined, exploring how childhood stresses modify life success and the surprising ways that parents do – and do not – prepare their children for adulthood. Helping to understand how early adversity affects childhood emotional, social, and cognitive development in ways that will carry on throughout a person’s entire life, Tough will demonstrate why determining one’s success may come more from “personality traits” than scoring highest on tests, from pre-school to SATs. Tough’s message carries special resonance in New Orleans, which has taken center stage in the education reform movement since Katrina.

Learn more at paultough.com.

Sponsored by Newcomb-Tulane College Office of Cocurricular Programs, the NewDay Speaker Series, and the Office of Academic Affairs.

For more information, email donuts@tulane.edu, or call 504-865-5728.

Click here to see previous Newcomb-Tulane College Lectures.